Healing yourself from PTSD with Alternative Medicine!
My personal journey
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), Is one of the toughest conditions I have personally had to deal with. For years it haunted me, taking away my peace. It was during those years that I decided to put my expertise of medical Shamanism to good use. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to test the full range of healing that could come from Shamanic Medicine. I told myself that I had helped so many people with different conditions because I had healed myself first. Which eventually gave me knowledge to help other people dealing with those blockages I had conquered. I saw a PTSD as nothing different. As a shaman, it is a custom to heal yourself from your past demons, current emotional blockages, and any subconscious hindrance that is stopping you from living to your truest potential. The following advice comes from three years of my personal battle with PTSD. This is what helped me get my life back, so I could go back to being who I really was.
For those of you unfamiliar with post-traumatic stress disorder, it’s a condition that comes after experiencing a traumatic event. Some events have greater weight than others, and it’s those events that can leave a haunting impression on us. PTSD is most commonly seen in soldiers, but is not limited to war. Child abuse can lead to PTSD, and other social scars can do the same thing. The results are uncontrollable flashbacks. These flashbacks can be extremely vivid, throwing the person back to the moment that caused their trauma. For some it completely immobilizes them, and for others it makes living extremely difficult. You may feel an uncontrollable urge to sleep for several days, all while having nightmares and confusing thoughts. Those are only some of the blockages that at person with PTSD can be facing.
For me personally, I would sleep for days… with no energy to eat, shower, or other. My friends would have to wake me, and help me with the most basic of things. If not, I would sleep like a fairytale character cursed by some witch. My dreams became so frequent, and vivid, that I would wake up at times questioning what was fact from fiction. There’re times where I would begin reliving a memory, but then the effects of dreaming would tamper with the memory. There were days where I would spend the entire day trying to sort out what wasn’t part of a dream. My fear, was letting the dream take control over my psyche, my reality. I was most certain that insanity would be the result if I slipped. If I didn’t experience lapses in my memory, I would have dreams of an epic battle that I was in the middle of. For those of you familiar with Dragon ball Z (anime show), I was always in the final showdown with Broly… the legendary super Saiyan. If he one, I would sleep for another few days; if I won, I would have a few days to a week of regular living. It became a priority to never lose this battle. It was after I won, that I would dedicate myself to cherishing every actual living moment I had.
Even when I wasn’t sleeping, I was far from free. The PTSD kept me terrified in anxiety of leaving my home alone, or in general. As a result, the network of people that I had spent years building dissipated. Surely depression followed. When I did step outside of my house, usually with a friend, I would have moments where I would be shopping for groceries and suddenly find myself reliving a flashback. To the rest of the world, it looked like I checked out. This made it impossible for me to drive, and only made it more difficult to leave the house because I found myself checking out during walks. It had to stop!
That’s when I decided to put all of my training, and knowledge to finding the escape route. I had been accustomed to different states of mind during meditation, and interdimensional travel…. but nothing like this. I had to engineer a plan to escape my own subconscious. My mind would just remember all my masters, and this felt like a final exam I hadn’t studied for.
So here we GO!
1. RESOLVE, & KNOWING
You have to be dedicated to healing yourself. You need to be real with yourself. Know that this will not go away in a day, month, or year even. Healing takes time, and that time is dependent on you. I hope that these tools speed up your recovery, and if you find anything else that helps…share them with us! Remember to motivate yourself. The illusion of failure here is simply that, an illusion. YOU CAN DO THIS!
& Don’t you ever forget it.
Other articles might tell you to have faith, I won’t. Faith, is in a way, to force yourself to believe it will work. I’m telling you to KNOW it will work. The law of attraction and manifestation highlight that your mind has incredible power. If you’re mentally sure that you will get better, the universe has no other option but to respond. We can’t manifest cures at will, but we can manifest our well-being. This is your strongest tool. Positive thoughts, and energy behind everything you do. Most of us visit a Western doctor, and just trust that they know what they’re doing. Some of us even know that a western doctor will do something for us to make us better. It’s the exact same in the situation.
2. SUPPORT
I would say that this is a requirement …. But, everyone’s situation is different. You need to get your support system involved. If your support system knows about your goals to better yourself, they can keep you motivated. Tell them what approach you would like to take (holistic or other), and develop a plan for success!
3. FENG SHUI & COLOR THERAPY
Feng shui is the art of arranging belongings in your home in ways that produce, and maintain the flow of positive energy. It’s a lot easier than many make it out to be. I’ll even give you a map to use. I personally love to use crystals over a ton of furniture rearrangement. The one thing I tell everyone about furniture is to make sure that you can’t see yourself in the mirror from your bed. If you can see yourself in the mirror while lying in bed, this will produce negative energy. The main thing about this form of therapy is having clean, open spaces.
By having less objects that interrupt the flow of energy, you can welcome in more positive energy. I essentially want you to find each area of the map within your house. The rooms may not be all on the same floor, so use common sense when mapping what rooms go where. The following list of stones placed in the correct areas of Feng Shui, will leave you baffled. Also, pay attention to the colors on the map that correspond to each room. This is where the color therapy comes in. The list below are some of the stones I use in my house.
Prosperity: Citrine, Pyrite, Jade
Fame: Sardonyx, Carnelian, Bronzite
Love: Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Coral
Family: Selenite, Malachite, Rose Quartz
Physical: Quartz, Celestite, Amethyst
Children: Amethyst, Citrine, Sepentine
Knowledge: Lapis, Septarian, Lodalite
Career: Labradorite, Lodilite, Jade,
Helpful: Citrine, Malacite, Sunstone
Thanks to GoWithHarmony.com for this map.
What is color therapy and how does it work? Color has a significant impact on the human mind, body, and soul. That’s why hospitals have certain colors to help with healing, or staying calm. This is a form of healing that is grossly overlooked due to its ease of access, and application. You can play sees colors in each room by painting walls, putting objects of that color in the room, or even something as simple as making your bedroom sheets that particular color. After some time, you will begin to notice a difference in yourself, your environment, and even those who live with you. My family absolutely loves it. So, I’ll even give you a nice breakdown of what each color can do for you.
Red brings in vitality, sensuality, vigor, and confidence. It helps make you feel safe.
Orange stimulate sexuality, allows the ability to have more emotional control over yourself, and can stimulate creativity. It helps fight off feelings of guilt.
Yellow is great for mental focus, clarity, creativity, and transcendence of thought. It helps fight off feelings of shame.
Green helps calm the environment, mind, and body. It’s great for stress relief, healing of all kinds, and promoting healthy life choices. This color helps reinforce your feelings of love and progression from the past.
Blue helps calm the mind, is good for inducing sleep, and promotes the creation of sound. What I mean by this is that it encourages people to talk. Blue helps disarm the soul. It will open up the flow of knowledge available to you.
Purple is great for your intuition. It will heighten your senses, promotes creative problem solving, and allow you to see the bigger picture. Purple is great for stress relief, sleep, relaxation, aids in the creative arts that deal with writing.
White is a high healing color. Yeah - a lot of people have white in their house, but do you notice how much brighter a room is with the white on the walls? Since white is a combination of color, by wearing white you’re constantly exposing yourself to all the colors. Remember you don’t have to just wear it either.
·The last color I recommend, and is my favorite, gold. Though many healers will tell you that white is the master healing color, Gold is a high concentration of light and positive energy. Gold Will motivate you to succeed, and let go of any pesters that don’t really matter. Gold can make you feel great about yourself again, and about living. It will help you heal faster.
4. PLANTS! GREEN, GREEN, GREEN
I had always had the black hand of death with plants, (I know a shaman plant killer is WEIRD). I had read so much about Japanese forest medicine that my friends figured they would bring the concept to me. They helped me set up a few pots with plants I found beautiful. This in time grew on me. My plants were my pets, I could not ignore feeding them! So, I would start trying to force myself out of bed in the morning, JUST to water the plants. If I went back to sleep…it was a process. As time passed, waking up didn’t seem so heavy, my plant collection grew, and I began to see a shift in myself. If I couldn’t do it for myself, at least I could do it for my garden. The green would great me every morning, helping me change my mental progression each day. It’s safe to say that I am no longer the grim reaper of plants. Push yourself a little more each time, keep hope, and soon you will reap benefits too.
5. SERVICE DOG
Like I said, getting out of the house was difficult beyond comprehension. After some time with the plants, I felt like I could take on a small dog. I was home alone a lot, and since the plants managed to get me up in the mornings, I thought a dog my push me through my day. In time, Artemis became my service dog, and now we go everywhere together. He’s helped me with going out alone, without fear because I have him. If I’m ever anxious… he’s there with all his fluffiness to calm me down. With the help of Artemis, and Pokémon Go, I’m driving again! I only mention Pokémon because it really did motivate me to play. I was forced to go on walks with Art if I wanted to get more levels! So, if you hold a spot for Pokémon…try the combo and see where it goes.
Now, you are probably thinking that getting a service dog is ridiculously hard! Wrong. If you are someone who is blind, or needs a dog for those purposes…you need a professionally trained therapeutic dog. You want to get a service dog because they can go anywhere people are allowed, and cannot be turned down. Emotional support dogs can be turned down at public transportations, and are not considered a requirement for your health.
What you need:
-Get a letter from a mental health professional stating that they recommend a service animal.
-Carry the prescription and ID with you at all times. No one has the right to ask you why you need the dog, but they can ask you what services the dog provides.
RULES:
Your dog must abide by human customs. That means:
-No barking
-No eating off of floors
-No jumping on people
-The Animal has to be under the table by you at all times when sitting unless you have a medical condition that requires the dog on your lap
Your dog should be a hypoallergenic dog that sheds only once or twice a year, if at all.
If you can’t properly train your dog to follow basic commands, I suggest hiring a trainer.
I’ve always had dogs, so I knew what was needed to train Art. I did plenty of research when training so that no one could give me crap later about my service dog.
*FYI- not any dog is considered a service breed…like Pitbulls etc.
If you can’t properly handle a service animal, skip this step entirely because you make it harder for people who actually benefit from this form of healing.
6. REIKI & ANTOJAI
Energy healing is on the rise in western society as of late, but it has been around for centuries. The bible even describes it when Jesus heals by touch. This goes for so many other dogmas, and philosophies. Scientifically, it has only been around since 1922, when Reiki was developed. Almost a century later, 94 years to be exact, Antojai was also developed. Each energy style is great on its own, but it’s when they are put in combination that the definition of energy healing evolves.
Reiki stands for universal life energy. When a Reiki healer works on you, they are filling you with the energy that flows within all life across the universe. If you choose to try this non-invasive method, I would say trying a session first… and if you like it, LEARN IT! If you learn Reiki you will have it readily available at all times. Plus, you will save costs in the long term if you already have financial restraints.
Reiki will prepare your mind, body, and soul for a deeper stage of healing. If you are not used to energy healing, Reiki is the key to understanding energy medicine. This should be a consistent standard to your healing. I give myself Reiki every day. Think of it as a mega anti-depressant, and beyond. If you have body pain, reiki! If you are low on energy, reiki! If you are feeling negative in any way, reiki. You get the point.
Click here, or full detailed medical information about reiki by the University of Minnesota. Reiki gave me the energy I needed to pursue my healing process, and it made it much easier to walk that path.
Some reiki instructions can be expensive, $800+. I teach it in person, or by distance anywhere around the world at a fraction of that. Other courses take a weekend. My course is 2.5hrs, 3 TOPS! That’s how fast you can learn it. Reiki can be achieved by anyone who truly wishes to learn it. Everyone should have access to a form of healing, and it’s because of that reason that I teach it starting at $400/usd. Click here to set up your instruction now!
Now, not everyone can learn Antojai, but you should take advantage of it if you have access to a Antojai Master. I recommend it if you are already a frequent Reiki user, or if you need a deep healing to allow you to enjoy the benefits of reiki.
Antojai essentially targets the causes of your PTSD, and helps you with releasing ties to triggers. My condition was so bad I ended up trying western medications for a while before my research. As I began to apply Antojai to myself daily, I began to see changes in the ways I was thinking, the things I was inspired to do, and so much more. It was because of Antojai and Reiki that this healing suggestion is present today. Antojai opened full access to the components of my subconscious so I could address, heal, release, or erase the glitches within my subconscious. I was on 5 different medications, and today I’m down to 1. With Antojai and Reiki I was able to free myself from the depths of my own mind.
I began applying different signatures of Antojai to myself, and I would switch the signature in use every month. Month one was Kundalini, 2 Emotional Sacral, and so on. For seven months, I applied it to myself- and I’m a totally different person. I feel like I have my life again, and I can pursue being the person I have always aimed to be.
7. SUBCONSCIOUS DIVING
Subconscious diving is the act of going within yourself to analyze the root causes of certain thoughts. Some people need a hypnotherapist, or energy healer to help them through this kind of healing. It is possible for you to do it on your own though.
This technique doesn’t work for everyone, but if it does work for you… Take full advantage of it. I constantly dive within my own subconscious to understand myself better by analyzing my experiences. The experience doesn’t really matter where it took place, or when. The importance of this exercise is to understand why a particular effect was in play at that time.
For instance:
In mid-college, I had moments where the world just seemed lost, and internally I didn’t know where I was either. This memory use to pop up all the time at random. It wasn’t until I went into my subconscious, and addressed my past self, that I was able to release myself. I sat down with my past self and explain to him what the future holds. I told him that everything would be okay even though right now it doesn’t seem like it. After the first time doing this, I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders, but it wasn’t fully gone. It took me another subconscious dive to that same memory, along with journaling to completely erase my ties to this moment that exacerbated my PTSD.
Not all of these modalities, and techniques will work for everyone, so go with what feels right.
8. SOUL RETRIEVAL
So, retrieval is the act of going to a point in time where a vital portion of yourself was lost. This can be in a memory of a past life, your childhood, or something current that you didn’t even notice had taken a portion of you.
Most people need an energy healer, or a past life regression is to help them with this kind of healing. Some Reiki Masters can perform this kind of procedure. If you are accustomed to meditation, you can do it yourself as well. Just go online and find the most popular book on Amazon that talks about the process of soul retrieval. This kind of healing can be very beneficial as it is a form of you putting yourself back together spiritually. This then transfers over to mental faculties, and finally physical.
This kind of healing should only be done when you feel ready for it. Your soul will let you know that you’re prepared to receive this kind of information. You may start hearing, seeing, or thinking about soul retrieval. This is an indication that you perhaps should try this method of healing. The results are completely different for everyone, since we each have our own personalized demons. Try it out!
9. JOURNAL TRANSFER
The technique of journal transferring your emotions is something many people have done for centuries, and hidden from those of us who actually could benefit from it. It may take you little bit to get accustom to doing this style of healing, but once you start… it’ll be a lifesaver. One major technique I use with journaling is analyzing my life. If I have an altercation with someone, but I just can’t shake it off, I write about it. I deconstruct the meanings behind the interactions, and I find my own rationale.
Other times, I may be faced with a flashback that randomly attacked to me. This is why I carry my journal with me everywhere. It has a pen attached to it that I absolutely love writing with, and my notebook itself is beautiful to look at. It’s the little details that draw me to it. You want to same affect with your journal. Connect with it, as it essentially is an extension of your soul. When I get hit by this flashback, I may be forced to lay down for a while, but I write everything that I can down. Even if it’s not in straight lines, or they’re half ideas… every bit you can get out helps. When you’re Flashback passes, you can look at these notes and deconstruct so many things from it. I’ll give you my example:
Many years ago, I knew this woman who was extremely dense in her ability to connect with other people through empathy. For some reason, I always felt like I had to do something for this woman, but every attempt was met with negativity. I couldn’t avoid her, so I saw no other options at the time. For some reason, it always bothered me not accepting the fact that this person was not worth my energy. That it wasn’t my responsibility to drag her from the depths of her own misery. This tiny detail has haunted me for years without me fully understanding why. When I finally wrote it down, it was as though I transferred the entire experience onto the paper. I was later able to deconstruct it with tree maps, and other methodologies that help you analyze a topic to find peace with this matter.
A moment trapped in history, that haunted my soul for some reason, that would put me down for a 2hour sleep… no longer surfaces. This kind of technique is similar to erasing a file on your computer, or rewriting it all together. This is a similar technique found in soul retrieval, and subconscious diving. I do not limit you to just one particular mode of detoxification. I do know there’re some people who cannot accept the metaphysical easily, and for you this journal technique is perfect. I’ve been doing this technique for over six months now, I love how it has released my mind from the monsters that haunted me.
Not every recollection will fall into a journaling category, interacting with your deepest portions. Feel no stigma, feel no shame because no one needs to know what you’re writing about. Remember, there are people who write every day. I only say this because when I began the journaling technique, I would feel as though I were being judged for being strange. No one judges a person reading a book. Apply that same concept to your writing.
I will be adding an instructional podcast for further assistance on this technique.
10. FORCEFUL COURAGE
The world may make you feel out of place during your healing. REMEMBER, you are healing. It’s better than being a victim to the consequences of your condition. I'm not entirely healed, but I am determined to continue to fight. I wish you the very best on your journey, and feel free to reach out with any questions.
I leave you with this wonderful TED Talk by Eleanor Longden.
To all appearances, Eleanor Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in the world. That was until the voices in her head started talking. Initially innocuous, these internal narrators became increasingly antagonistic and dictatorial, turning her life into a living nightmare. Listen to how she helped heal herself.
Master Antojai
Carrasquillo, A. (2017). Antojai Shamanic Wellness
Copyright © 2017 Antojai Shamanic Wellness, All rights reserved.
Photo by Ashley Batz
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